I hooked up my timing light, and started up the car. The timing was wayyyy over to the far left even past the indicators, but it ran fine. As I attempted to turn the distributor to put it near the marks, it starts stalling out. I increase the idle to compensate. I got it to run near the 0* mark but it was dying easily and I kept having to give it gas. Now I tried putting the dizzy back to where it originally was, and runs like crap. it starting smoking up and it burnt my eyes, now I cant set the dizzy anywhere to make it run good. What could this be?

Also, inside my car the tach would jump real quick maybe once every 2 revolutions and my voltage meter was acting weird too.

 

Not to make fun or make a stupid comment, but did you have it on the correct spark plug wire??

The reason it doesnt run like it did now even though you put it back to where it was is probably because you fouled out the spark plugs by turning up the idle. You had too much gas running into it with the idle up and the engine running rough. Your tach is jumping around probably because the engine is running so poorly and your volt meter is showing up goofy because the ignition is not working to its full potential with it running so poorly so your RPM's are not high enough to operate the Alt. properly causing poor recharging.

Try putting new spark plugs in and getting the timing mark to as close as it was before you started messing with it. Also make sure you use the spark plug wire closest to the radiator on the drivers side.
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What made you mess with the timing in the first place anyway??

 

Also, you know you need to disconnect the tan/black timing connector on the passenger side of the engine compartment, right?
That will keep the computer from adding timing and let you set the initial timing. It will also set a "Service Engine Soon" light, code 42. You can ignore it. It will go away after you plug the connector back together and shut off the engine.

 

Yeah, what he said, you need to disconnect the EST wire before trying to mess with the timing.

 

On an '84, it's not an EST wire, it's a flat 4-wire connector at the distributor.

 

I don't even think it is a stock dizzy with his mods, atleast I wouldn't be running one.

 

Yeah, its not a cc q-jet, and unfortunatly the dizzy is stock, I think. Its what came in the car with the old engine, a goodwrench 350 that I totally destroyed. Tomorrow ill pull the plugs and see there condition, can I just use carb cleaner or something on them? The plugs have had maybe 2 hours of life total on them.

The reason I was adjusting the timing is because I just recently got this motor to breath life. I have a new cam in it, lifters, intake manifold, and ported the stock heads. I set the timing in a general fashion so I could start it. I was going to use the timing light to fine tune it.

I'll check it out tomorrow and see what the plugs conditions are.

Thanks,
-Blair

 

You may be able to get away with carb cleaner on the plugs, but I wouldnt do it. I have less than 3 hours running on a set of plugs but when I pulled them the gaps were HUGE on them, lucky I had another set seeing as I was at the track at the time.

 

Checked the number 1 spark plug, black and had some orange rtv on it.. wtf I wasnt that sloppy..

but the car ran fine today when I started it, kinda.

I was sitting in the drivers seat, it was idling around 800rpm. I went to roll my window down and as soon as I pressed the switch, the engine dies. I tried starting it back up, nothing at all. Turn the key to off then try again, starts right up no problem. Every gauge is fine, then the volts drop like crazy and the tach jumps to like 2k, then the voltage rises again. Loose wire near the starter?

 

Sounds like a loose wire, also where did you use orange RTV?? You may have a leak some where that could also cause it to run funny.

 

Sig says "stock q-jet carb". That's what I assumed in my original response.

But, not good. If it isn't a CC q-jet, you shouldn't be running a stock distributor.

 

Fixed the sig, I dont know if the dizzy is stock, I dont believe it is computer controlled. Its got a vacuum advance and only two wires plug into it, tach and +12, Then from the base of the dizzy, has a 4 wire plug that plugs into the cap/coil.

 

Okay, that's the right distributor. You need to unhook and plug the vacuum advance when you set the timing.

 

Sounds like a non-comp dizzy. I took mine apart and put all high performance stuff and a different spring/weight thingy in it and run it on my car.

 

I knew something was wrong. Thanks!

 

I took it out for a drive around the block.

Funny shifts, car wants to jump foward when stopped. Im pretty sure that my kickdown cable isnt adjusted properly, even though I went 100% by instruction.

Half throttle gave me a really decent launch, I was surprised.

Im hooking the rest of my exhaust up today so I wont be running pure headers anymore *dang* Eventually ill get some cut-outs

But yeah, car shifts too early and has a VERY weird idle, feels like it wants to jump foward realliy bad.

 

Yeah, adjusting the tv cable doesnt do much, seems to make it worse actually. The trans felt like it was slipping a LOT if I tightned the tv cable screw stopper *aftermarket tv cable*

Also, im leaking tranny fliuid. The dipstick says I have way more than I should, is it just letting the extra out? I cant tell where its leaking from at all.

gah

*ill be oustide most of the time, but im running in every 10-20 minutes or so to post updates*

Kickdown cable must be the tightest it can be at WOT, right? There cant be like 1 or 2mm of slack, right?

 

haha!!!!!!!!
WEEEEEEE

I pull out of my driveway, on my street I barely even give it half the gas, car launches foward and when it shifts into 2nd it burns out, Shifted fine.

I loosley set my valves when I was breaking in my cam, maybe I should tighten them to spec now.

car was really boggy, it doesnt like it when im just giving it a little gas, kinda chugs along, but when those secondaries open.. wow.

I think thats a sign that I need to re-jet my primaries.

 

A friend of mine says that im leaking transmission fluid because I have a blown hydraulic valve. Im worried now. anyone have a response to that?